Harry Potter and the Alucinor Dicio

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling, this story is for my own amusement ( and hopefully the amusement of others!) and not for profit.

Chapter 7 - So Mote it Be!

Harry sat alone in the library, anxiously shooting glances towards the door. Rowen had requested that he meet with her, so that she could explain what would happen at the Order's meeting tonight. She was 15 minutes late however. Harry glanced at the door once again, only to see Rowen coming through it with an apologetic smile on her face.

“ Sorry I'm late Harry! Had a hold up at the blood bank, stocking up, you know, for the school term.” She shot Harry a small smile. “ I don't really know how much I'm looking forward to teaching what with... certain people at the school, but I'll get to know you better so that's something right?” She shot a glance at Harry, as if expecting this friendly overture to be rejected. Harry knew that feeling all too well.

“ Yeah, absolutely. It'll be great. So you're worried about running into Snape, huh?” Harry grinned wryly. He hated Snape, but had a feeling that seeing Snape's first encounter with Rowen would be amusing.

“ Professor Snape, Harry.” Rowen admonished. “It is a sign of great wisdom to show elders your respect. It's one of the lamia's redes. Especially for us, because sometimes your elder may appear younger than yourself!” Rowen spoke to Harry seriously.

“ What's a rede?” asked Harry. He was very curious about his godmother and where she came from. Knowing her felt like a connection to his mother.

“It's sort of like a law. Lamia tend to follow their own ways, but that one is important.

We also place a lot of importance on trees and nature. Embrace that which kills you, I suppose. We consider it a sign of power. It's where I got my name , you know. The rowen tree was the Celtic tree sigh for my birth. And my surname, Silva, it's Latin for the woods. Our family is a very powerful, very old lamia family. But as with most, powerful does not always mean 'good'. My father was cast out for marrying my mother you know...” Rowen trailed off thoughtfully at this, and then seemed to shake herself out of the revere she was in. “ I apologize, Harry, I didn't mean to go on like that! I asked you here to talk about this evening. The initiation ritual is very straightforward, if a little eerie. Dumbledore is a very smart man, he uses very old magick rituals for the initiation. These bind the witch or wizard with a very old, very powerful magick, which, should you break, would result in dire consequences.” Rowen proceeded to go over the entire ritual with him so that he would know what to say when the time came.

They had spent a while ensconced in the library together, Rowen had conjured up some sandwiches with a flick of her wand. After a while, Rowen began to ask Harry subtle, if pointed, questions about his years growing up and at Hogwarts. Harry gladly told her his many tales, happy that she had the time and inclination to get to know him. She laughed at many of his stories ( mostly starring Fred and George in some way, shape, or form) and said nothing at all during the less than happy moments.

“ Harry, you truly have been through more than most adults I know. I'm sorry that you had to lose Sirius so quickly. Anything I can think to say sounds trite, but I know that he must have loved you very much. No one could know you and not love you.” Rowen stated quietly when Harry had finished. Harry just stared at her, silently. So few times in his life had he heard someone say they loved him. He slowly reached out and grasped her hand, and they sat there saying nothing for a short while. “ Well, one day I'll reciprocate and tell you my sad life story but for now, we should get ready for tonight. I'm sure that Ron and Hermione are missing you as well.”

As if on cue, Hermione and Ron came bursting in at that moment, arguing loudly about the existence of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, Ron arguing Luna's side valiantly, if terribly. “Oh, Harry! There you are, we've been looking for you all day! Hello, Professor Silva.” Hermione smiled.

“ Just Rowen, please Hermione. If I may call you that?” Hermione nodded her assent. “ Well, I'm not a professor just yet. I'll be leaving then Harry, I'm sure you will have plenty of things to talk about with your friends. Remember to meet me in the hall at 7 o'clock sharp.” With a small smile that included everyone, Rowen left the room.

Harry proceeded to tell Ron and Hermione of his afternoon with his godmother, eager to gage their opinions on Rowen. Ron seemed oblivious to this and merely commented on the initiation, moaning about how he wished it was him. Hermione, however, astute as always, seemed to sense Harry's underlying need to be reassured. “ I for one think she's going to be an excellent professor, Harry. I like her, she seems, well, a bit scary honestly, but she smiles around you. She looks like she hasn't done it in a long time.” Hermione smiled encouragingly at Harry while she said this. Harry felt a great rush of relief when Hermione said that she liked Rowen, although the fact that Rowen would soon be one of their teachers probably greatly swayed her opinion.

After that Harry rushed upstairs to get ready for his initiation into the Order, and met Rowen as promised, at precisely seven. They stood together in the hall as members of the Order entered. Some greeted Harry with surprise, some with delight, and some just nodded as they passed into the meeting room. One of the last to arrive was Remus, who clapped Harry on the shoulder, asking him if he knew everything he needed to know, while looking significantly at Rowen. Harry answered in the affirmative, and watched Remus enter the room before turning to Rowen with a questioning expression.

Rowen sighed softly, “ I personally don't like or dislike Remus, Harry, I never knew him particularly well. However, vampires and werewolves have a deep seated hatred of each other traditionally. I myself have never held this prejudice, I could care less if one is a werewolf, vampire or human. I'm sure Remus will get over this once he realizes that I am not the root of all evil.” she chuckled at the end of this statement. Harry, who had been about to question her further stopped when he saw her face go completely still and white with fury. He turned to see Snape entering the hall. Snape also looked up with his usual 'especially for Potter' sneer, but froze when he saw Rowen behind Harry.

“ Rowen.. “ Snape started towards them. “ I had no idea... you haven't been... why are you...” the potions master seemed unusually flustered. Harry was delighting in this, he had never seen Snape so uncomfortable, not even when Harry had seen his memories in the pensieve.

“Severus.” stated Rowen coldly. Snape reared back as though slapped at her tone of voice. “ I am here because I am a member of the Order. I am speaking for Harry tonight.” She stated all of this matter of factly, despite the fact that Snape seemed shocked by this. “ Although I have no desire whatsoever to evince your friendship again, Severus, I can force myself to be polite and I expect the same from you, seeing as we will be seeing a lot of each other at Hogwarts. I am to be teaching the Defense against the Dark Arts class”

Snape looked at her with a strange light in his eyes. Conscious of Harry's presence he leaned in to whisper, “ I had hoped that we could meet to talk about certain things..” but Rowen cut him off.

“ There is nothing to discuss, Severus. I have had nothing to say to you since the day you took that mark. I don't care that you switched sides, I don't care how much you've done for the Order. You had no reason to take it in the first place! He had nothing to give you that I..” as Rowen spoke she became increasingly more upset. Harry now saw that when angered, her eyes became an almost molten silver color that seemed inhuman. Now he knew why that Deatheater had backed away from just the sight of her anger. Fortunately Dumbledore came into the hall at that moment. He asked that Snape join them inside so that they may proceed. Snape reluctantly followed him in. Harry glanced up at Rowen.

“ Not now, Harry. We'll be called soon.” she said, seeming almost drained by her anger. She was correct, they were called into the room not fifteen minutes after that. Rowen and Harry walked in, seeing the witches and wizards all seated in chairs. They walked up the aisle that formed between the two sides until they were in front of Dumbledore who stood at the front of the room, dressed in red and gold robes beside a table with covered items on it.

“ Now as many of you will not know, Rowen Silva has been a member of this order since it's original founding. She has not been publicly announced as a member until now, due to the sensitive nature of the tasks she has performed for us. I tell you this now to clear up any confusion during the actual ceremony.” Dumbledore spoke over the murmur that ran trough the room at this announcement, being Headmaster of a school he was used to talking over others when necessary. “ let the initiation begin!”

Dumbledore came to stand in front of Harry as a silence fell on the room, making his face and everyone else's seem graver in the flickering candlelight. He stared at Harry silently for a moment, giving him a small wink, before beginning.

“ Who comes forth to join?” Dumbledore started.

“ It is I, Harry James Potter, son of Lily Evans and James Potter.” Harry carefully recited the words Rowen had helped him prepare.

“ Who speaks for you?” Dumbledore questioned.

“ It is I, Rowen Wisteria Silva, who vouches for him.” Rowen stated in her clear voice.

Dumbledore picked up a long dagger from the table, it's handle an ornate carving of wood and encrusted with rubies. He placed the point of this dagger directly above Harry's heart. Harry's eyes widened slightly with fear, though he had known about this part. Rowen had prepared him well.

“ You are about to enter a communion of power, a gathering of people who seek to destroy the Dark. You are about to declare yourself on the side of Light, declare your intent to rid the world of this Darkness, fight in this War, alongside your breatheran. Have you the courage to make this essay?” Dumbledore spoke in a loud clear voice that seemed to resonate with his power. Gone was the gently laughing old man Harry was used to, to be replaced by this frightfully powerful wizard.

“ I enter with perfect love and perfect trust.” Harry responded in an equally strong voice, looking at Rowen from the corner of his eye.

“ Are you willing to swear an oath?” Dumbledore asked.

“ I am” Harry replied.

“ Repeat after me; That I will keep secret what I am asked to keep secret, and never divulge the names or the meeting place of the Order unless by their consent.” Harry repeated what he was told to by Dumbledore.

“ I, Harry Potter, do of my own free will most solemnly swear to protect, help and defend my brothers and sisters of the Order.

I always keep secret what must not be revealed.

All that is between my two hands belongs to the Light.”

Harry looked up at the end of his oath to see the light of pride in Dumbledore's eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rowen looking on with pride. In the audience he saw Molly looking fearful, while the rest of the Weasley's looked on with pride, or devilish glee in the twins sake. He saw Remus' face looking on in the crowd, and also Snape's , each looking proud and disgusted, respectfully. Harry felt a strange power within the room, as if some magick from the earth itself had wound it's way through the room.

Dumbledore took the dagger away from his heart where it had rested throughout the whole oath. He looked up at the crowd and declared in a resounding voice that was echoed by members throughout the room.

“ So mote it be!”

A/N: Well, seems like a good place to stop! All information from the initiation was taken from witchway.net, a wiccan site. I changed the words up, though, obviously! Next up is back to Hogwarts! Yay school! Lol! See the button? It's a pretty button, press it please? ( Wow, that sounded a bit dirty, didn't it? Oh well, review anyway.)